Iconic. This was the first word that came to mind when I began reading Jason S. Hornsby's new zombie novel Every Sigh, The End (Permuted Press, 2007). Within each decade there are a few special artists of words who possess the ability to intimately capture the soul of their generation, the unspoken rhythm of raw emotion that lies beneath the surface of the defining fashion or politics of the era. Kerouac, Ginsberg, Bukowski, Burroughs, Leonard Cohen, Hunter S. Thompson, Tom Wolfe, Chuck Palahniuk...are just a few that come to mind who's intuitive observations and interpretations of the fluxing rage of life around them not only captured the truth of existence in their time, but also served to help define it for future generations. To create characters that speak and move with a volatile honesty that the reader identifies with wholly both on a superficial fictional level, as well as a soul-core deeper dimension is a difficult task for any author. When undertaking the expression of a generation through a character, or a novel as a whole, a writer walks a fine line between propaganda and philosophy; the end result will be either one that will be embraced by the audience as a societal statement or rejected as a poser attempt of capitalizing on that particular generations struggles. Luckily for Hornsby, his novel is sure to be an interpretation that is considered now and by future audiences as an astute understanding of the jaded, apathetic paranoia and selfish, bitter ego of the late 1990's, as well as a distinctly brilliant addition to the zombie genre.

In the days leading up to New Year's Eve of 1999, Ross Orringer is coming to grips with his own exhausted disgust with the mangled web of deceit known as his life and the pompous, ruthless attitudes of those closest to him. At twenty-six, he spends his nights dubbing bad underground horror movies for the small company he started with his best friend Preston years before and drinking heavily. His existence has become monotonous and meaningless as he attends the same keg parties, dates the same two-timing girlfriend, has the same affair with his girlfriend's best friend and continues to try to live in the shadow of his over achieving younger sister, Cordelia. Every year has been the same since he graduated college. Only this year, Ross has noticed he's suddenly being photographed by mysterious men, cameras are being set up on building tops and the side of the road by men in white hazard suits and suddenly all of the people he thought would never change have begun to act suspiciously as if they are all part of the same strange secret of which Ross is not privy. Ross becomes more and more overwhelmed by his paranoia as Preston's massive New Year's Eve party approaches, constantly questioning the nagging feeling he has that this has all happened before. He realizes that his worst fears have been justified as the last minutes of the new millennium count down and he realizes that he and his friends are about to become part of the strangest reality TV show ever possibly imagined.

The zombie genre has always been known for its deep philosophical contemplation of the struggle within humanity to find peace with the concept of death. What is death, what is life, and where exactly do we reside within the greater scheme of existence? What is the true nature of evil and who are we, a mere mortal animals to determine what is labeled as such? Hornsby cleverly approaches this core debate within Every Sigh, The End, but also takes his conceptual arguments to a completely new level by involving the metaphysical/quantum physical concept of cyclical time. Are we already dead, doomed to repeat one horrible fate after another without end? Are the actions we take today really going to affect the outcome of tomorrow's impending doom? Hornsby also takes on society's obsession with meaningless gore and schlock and the desensitization that allows us to become so buried under our own selfish preoccupation with the base needs such as consumption and sex that we fail to notice the bigger picture unfolding around us at all times. What is it exactly that we are a part of? It is truly a cosmic plan or merely another being's "reality TV" with our meaningless existences in place for pure entertainment value? Throughout the chapters I found myself constantly nodding in agreement and pausing to contemplate his suggestions, his questions. Hornsby's ability to mesh intrinsic moral and intellectual philosophy with a high-paced, intense thriller plot that keeps one turning the pages for hours is a skill to be praised. Indeed, Every Sigh, The End is body of work to be read and re-read, to be studied and discussed.

In large part the ease with which the much larger concepts behind the book are delivered comes from Hornsby's beautifully sculpted characters. These are real people, people we have all known at one time or another in our lives with all of the insecurities and poignant flaws we can certainly see in our selves, our friends and our families. Their conversations are intimate and honest, their dilemmas and their reactions believable and riddled with all of the brutal truth we as human beings in the 21st century deal with every day of our lives. They are not pretty or perfect in any way. They are not heroes or heroines and at times they disgust you, not for any particular reason, but just a sense in general that they are a true, undeniable reflection of our world as a whole and X and Y generations. It is because of these characters the complex material handled throughout the pages flows with a seeming effortlessness that is fantastic to experience.

While, overall, I was absolutely blown away by Every Sigh, The End, there is one element of this novel, which I had a bit of a hard time digesting. This is the actual format. I found it a bit confusing at first. The book is divided into five sections within which lay fourteen short chapters each. These chapters begin with "13" and count down to "0" to mimic the count down to New Year's Eve. In addition to the interesting format of the chapter/section structure, you are also asked to follow three separate levels of the narration: one being the actual story which is taking place during the days leading up to New Year's Eve as told by the main character Ross, one where it appears he is in the future detained and being forced to recount his experiences and a third which is an alternate reality that takes place during an invasion and Ross is a savvy expert in the slaying of zombies. For the sake of not ruining the book for people who will read this I will not elaborate further on those multiple scenarios, but, needless to say, it takes a while to figure out exactly what is going on and to keep track of each level of the book consistently. Periodically I found myself being a bit annoyed with being torn from one storyline to another and all the while trying to keep track of the various philosophical/metaphysical debates that I was enjoying immensely. I understand Hornsby's strategy behind the multiple scenarios and, while I feel it bogged down the book's pace a bit at times, overall he dealt with this very complicated structure with grace and pulled it off rather well.

Thousands of novels are published every year. Thousands will be looked over on the shelves and completely forgotten. Every Sigh, The End is not one of these books. No matter if you are a rabid zombie enthusiast or a philosophy major, you will find yourself mesmerized by the literary genius of Jason S. Hornsby, a professor of American and British literature who spends his time pondering "the state of humankind", wallowing "in his own excess and depravity" and attempting to prove "that he is under surveillance by agents of the Dark Government". I look forward to future work by Hornsby, but for now Every Sigh, The End will become a permanent part of my library, cataloged somewhere between Kerouac and quantum physics.